This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP98/03961 which has an International filing date of Sep. 3, 1998, which designated the United States of America.
The present invention relates to an electronic-blackboard type display system which transfers information, written onto an information input surface of a sheet member with a marker pen, to a controller such as a personal computer substantially concurrently with the writing of the information to present the information on a monitor. The information is stored in a memory, and the information is printed out on a printer. The present invention also relates to a display system which transfers information, input through pressure with an inkless pressure pen on the sheet member used as a projection screen, to the controller while projecting the input information on the screen through a projector connected to the controller.
FIG. 15 shows a conventional electronic blackboard display system that transfers information, written with a marker pen as a writing and pressuring instrument, to a personal computer to display, and stores and prints out the information.
Referring to FIG. 15, a pressure input unit 101 with a writing and erasing function is designated 101, and is constructed as shown in more detail in FIG. 16. Specifically, the pressure input unit 101 is composed of a top sheet 101A, an insulating frame 101B, a bottom sheet 101C, and a reinforcement board 101D.
The top sheet 101A is constructed of a plastic film that is surface treated to enable a marker pen to write and erase information thereon, and the rear surface of the plastic film is coated with a carbon resistor film. The bottom sheet 101C is constructed of a plastic film as a base material, and the surface of the plastic film is coated with a carbon resistor film. The pressure input unit 101 is constructed by gluing the two plastic sheets 101A and 101C together with the insulating frame 101B interposed therebetween, and by gluing the reinforcement board 101D to the bottom sheet 101C from its rear side.
The marker pen writes on and presses the top sheet 101, causing the carbon resistor film of the top sheet 101 beneath the pressed portion to connect to the carbon resistor film of the bottom sheet 101C, thereby providing position data corresponding to the position of the pressed portion. The pressure input unit 101 is called a resistor film, pressure sensitive touch panel as one type of position coordinate detecting means.
When a character or the like is written on the top sheet 101 of the pressure input unit 101 constituting the position coordinate detecting means, already described in FIG. 15, using a marker pen, the position data produced at the pressed portion is converted into digital data by position data converter 102. The digital data, as written information, is successively transmitted to a personal computer 104 via data transfer device 103.
The personal computer 104 presents the written information on a monitor, and stores it in a memory, and prints outs it on a printer as necessary.
In this system, the visible information written on the pressure input unit 101 is presented, stored and printed on the personal computer 104 substantially on a real-time basis, and may be furthermore transmitted to a remote place.
FIG. 17 shows a conventional projection system in which the handwriting stroke information, created by a pressure pen on a screen, is transmitted to a computer so that the handwriting stroke information is projected on a projection screen by a projector.
In this conventional art, a screen 105A is integrally formed with a pressure input unit 105, on which no inked information is written by a marker pen. Specifically, the screen 105A is constructed of a material on which a projector 106 can project a video. Any material is acceptable as long as it transfers a pressure, applied by a pressure pen, to position coordinate detecting means (not shown) of the pressure input unit 105. The position coordinate detecting means on the pressure input unit 105 can be constructed of a resistor film and pressure sensitive touch panel, for example, like the above-described pressure input unit 101.
FIG. 17 shows a conventional projection system in which the handwriting stroke information, created by a pressure pen on a screen, is transmitted to a computer so that the handwriting stroke information is projected on a projection screen by a projector.
In this conventional art, a screen 105A is integrally formed with a pressure input unit 105, on which no inked information is written by a marker pen. Specifically, the screen 105A is constructed of a material on which a projector 106 can project a video. Any material is acceptable as long as it transfers a pressure, applied by a pressure pen, to position coordinate detecting means (not shown) of the pressure input unit 105. The position coordinate detecting means on the pressure input unit 105 can be constructed of a resistor film and pressure sensitive touch panel, for example, like the above-described pressure input unit 101.
The operation of this projection system is generally discussed. When a character or the like is written on the screen 105A of the pressure input unit 105 constituting the position coordinate detecting means, using a pressure pen, the position data produced at the pressed portion is converted into digital data by position data converter 102 in the same manner as in the preceding system. The digital data, as written information, is successively transmitted to a personal computer 104 via data transfer device 103.
A personal computer 104 presents the written information on its monitor while transmitting it to a projector apparatus 106 constructed of a liquid-crystal projector to present the information on a screen 105A.
The written information is projected exactly in the same strokes along which the pressure pen moves on the screen 105A. This gives an impression that the information is actually written on the screen.
The above conventional display system is very useful in a video teleconference system or the like, because the written information and handwriting stroke information are transferred to the personal computer 104 substantially on a real-time basis.
In the electronic blackboard such as the one shown in FIG. 15, only one surface on the top sheet 101 serves as an information input surface. To proceed with a conference further after transferring the information written on the input surface to the personal computer 104 for storage, the information written on the top sheet 101 needs to be erased. Conference participants may want to return to a previous issue after the erasing of the information, but no means is available to reproduce the written information stored in the personal computer 104 on the pressure input unit 101 (top sheet 101A). This inconveniences users very much.
Since the ability to fully diffuse light is required of the screen 105A in the projector system shown in FIG. 17, the top sheet 101 provided with the write and erase functions only, shown in FIG. 15, is not employed, as is, for the screen 105A.
Since the screen 105A itself constitutes the position coordinate detecting means as shown in FIG. 17, the black color of the carbon resistor film coating on the rear surface thereof is seen through from the front. Viewers may find it uncomfortable. If the screen 105A is thickened to eliminate such a drawback, more force is required to use a pressure pen in handwriting. This inconveniences users in handwriting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a display system which prevents the resistor film of the position coordinate detecting means from being seen through from the front of the sheet member to free the viewers from the irritation of the black carbon resistor film.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a practical display system that is equipped with a sheet member having a plurality of information input surfaces.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-use display system that is useful for video teleconference.
Instead of the top sheet 101A or screen 105A, which is integrated with the position coordinate detecting means to form the conventional pressure input unit 101 or 105, the present invention employs a sheet member 20 that is formed of a body separate from position coordinate detecting means 10 as shown in FIG. 1.
The sheet member may be equipped with a single information input surface as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, a plurality of sheet members 21 and 22 are employed by interchanging one with another as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, an elongated sheet member 23 having a plurality of information input surfaces 23a on the same plane is movably supported on the position coordinate detecting means 10 as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, an endless sheet member 24 having information input surfaces 24a on both front side and back side, is entrained about a pair of rollers 26 as shown in FIG. 24. The information input surfaces 24a are switched as the rollers 26 rotate.
Referring to FIG. 5, an elongated sheet member 25 having a plurality of information input surfaces is supported between a pair of rollers 26, with one end paid out by one roller 26 and the other end wound up by the other roller 26. As the rollers 26 rotate, a new information input surface is provided.
In the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pair of rollers 26 are horizontally movable to give a constant tension to the sheet members 24 and 25. In any case, the sheet members 21-25 shown in FIG. 2-FIG. 5 have respectively a plurality of information input surfaces.
The sheet members 20-25 may be of either one type that is surface-treated to permit a marker pen to be used for writing and erasing as in the electronic blackboard 101A shown in FIG. 15, or the other type that permits a projector to project a video as in the screen 105A shown in FIG. 17.
In the sheet members 21-25, each sheet member is preferably partitioned to that one of the plurality of information input surfaces has a writing and erasing function, and the other of the information input surfaces is a screen on which a video is projected.
The present invention includes any of the sheet members 20-25, the position coordinate detecting means 10 separate from the sheet members 20-25, and control means such as a personal computer for example, for storing, displaying and printing information input to the sheet members 20-25 when output data is transferred thereto.
In accordance with the sheet members 21-25 having the plurality of information input surfaces, the personal computer 104, as the control means for example; for storing, displaying and printing the input information as shown in FIG. 6, has a memory 104a. The memory 104a has a plurality of input information memory areas 104b corresponding to the plurality of information input surfaces (the plurality of screens).
In the display system thus constructed, information is input onto one surface of the sheet members 21-25, and the input information is transferred to be stored in the storage area 104b in the personal computer 104. To go to next proceedings in the conference, the sheet members 21-25 are interchanged or moved to allow another information input surface to appear on the position coordinate detecting means 10 for new information input. The information newly input is stored in another memory area 104b in the personal computer 104.
When conference participant want to return to a previous issue in the middle of the next proceedings to confirm the content of the screen for the previous proceedings, the previous information input surface is put on display and the written information, as it is, remains thereon. When the sheet members 21-25 are projection screens, the data, stored in the memory area 104b, is retrieved to project the image of the data onto the projection screen.
The written information or projected image on the sheet members 21-25 and the display content on the monitor based on the data in the memory area 104b in the personal computer 104 coincide with each other. Information newly added to the information input surface is also additionally stored in the memory area .104b while being presented on the monitor at the same time.
Since the sheet members 21-25 are separately arranged from the position coordinate detecting means 10 in the present invention, there is provided a slight gap therebetween. The slight gap makes the black color of the resistor film of the position coordinate detecting means 10 less visible from the front side. This makes it unnecessary to thicken the sheet members 20-25.
If the position coordinate detecting means 10 has a two-layered structure constructed of a top sheet and a bottom sheet, the two sheets connect to each other with an air layer held therebetween. With this arrangement, the thickness of the sheet is thinned, compared with one sheet member as thick as two sheets.
The present invention is summarized as follows.
The present invention includes a sheet member to which information is input, position coordinate detecting means which is formed as a body separate from the sheet member and is arranged behind the sheet member and detects the position of information input on the sheet member, and control means, to which the output data of the position coordinate detecting means is transferred and which processes the information input to the sheet member.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the position coordinate detecting means detects, as the position of information input, a position where a pressure is applied on the sheet member.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the position coordinate detecting means includes a resistor film type, pressure sensitive touch panel.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the sheet member includes a plurality of information input surfaces.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the sheet member includes a writing sheet onto which a writing and pressure pen writes information, which can also be erased.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the sheet member includes a screen onto which a pressure pen inputs information and onto which an image, based on the output data of the position coordinate detecting means, is projected.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the sheet member includes an information input surface, as a writing sheet, onto which a writing and pressure pen writes information which can be erased; and an information input surface, as a screen onto which an image, based on the output data of the position coordinate detecting means, is projected.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the control means includes a plurality of memory areas corresponding to a plurality of information input surfaces of the sheet member.
The present invention includes a display system, wherein the control means includes a display system, which includes position data converter for converting the output data of the position coordinate detecting means into digital position coordinate data, and a data transfer device for transferring the output data of the position data converter to the control means.
The present invention includes a display system, which includes optical reader for optically reading information written on the sheet member, a data converter for converting the output data of the optical reader into digital data, and a data transfer device for transferring the output data converter to the control means.